Musical Science and Technology Minor (B.Mus.) (18 credits)
Offered by: Music (Schulich School of Music)
Degree: Bachelor of Music
Program credit weight: 18
Program Description
This Minor focuses on interdisciplinary topics in science and technology as applied to music. The goal of the program is to help prepare students for commercial jobs in the audio technology sector and/or for subsequent graduate research study. This Minor is designed to serve students who already have a good background in the sciences and prior experience with Math and Computer Science courses.
Applications will only be considered for fall admission. Late applications will not be accepted and no students will be admitted to the Minor in January. Registration will be limited to available lab space. Selection is based on previous experience in math, computer programming, and related sciences, expressed interest in the program, and Cumulative Grade Point Average. To apply, submit an online application through the Music website: www.mcgill.ca/music/programs/minor/mst.
Advising for the Minor is available from the Area Chair for the Music Technology program. Further information on this program is available on the Music Technology website at: http://www.music.mcgill.ca/musictech/programmes_and_admissions.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Required Courses (15 credits)
15 credits, select all of the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MUMT 203 | Introduction to Digital Audio. | 3 |
Introduction to Digital Audio. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to digital audio and the technologies involved in its practical realization and use in computer music. Topics will include audio signals and systems, sampling quantization, signal encoding, compression, transmission and storage, filters, analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, digital audio effects, sound sampling and synthesis techniques. | ||
| MUMT 250 | Music Perception and Cognition. | 3 |
Music Perception and Cognition. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Basic processes by which the brain transforms sound waves into musical events, dimensions, systems and structures and the processes by which musicians imagine new musical sounds and structures and plan movements that produce music on instruments. | ||
| MUMT 306 | Music and Audio Computing 1. | 3 |
Music and Audio Computing 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Concepts, algorithms, data structures, and programming techniques for the development of music and audio software, ranging from musical instrument design to interactive music performance systems. | ||
| MUMT 307 | Music and Audio Computing 2. | 3 |
Music and Audio Computing 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Theory and implementation of signal processing techniques for sound synthesis and audio effects processing using Matlab, C++, and Max/MSP. | ||
| MUMT 501 | Digital Audio Signal Processing. | 3 |
Digital Audio Signal Processing. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Discrete-time signal processing concepts and techniques. Discrete-time fourier transform and series, linear time-invariant systems, digital filtering, spectral analysis of discrete-time signals, and the z-transform. | ||
Complementary Courses (3 credits)
3 credits selected from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MUMT 502 | Senior Project: Music Technology. | 3 |
Senior Project: Music Technology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Independent senior project in Music Technology. Students will design and implement a medium-scale project in consultation with their advisor. Evaluation will be based on concept, background research, implementation, reliability, and documentation. | ||
| PHYS 224 | Physics of Music. | 3 |
Physics of Music. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the physics of music. Properties of sound and their perception as pitch, loudness, and timbre. Dissonance, consonance, and musical intervals and tuning. Physics of sound propagation and reflection. Resonance. Acoustic properties of pipes, strings, bars, and membranes, and sound production in wind, string, and percussion instruments. The human voice. Room reverberation and acoustics. Directional characteristics of sound sources. | ||